BOARD OF SCHOOL TRUSTEES
SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 67 (OKANAGAN SKAHA)
MINUTES OF REGULAR SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2003
AT 7:45 P.M. FOLLOWING THE INAUGURAL MEETING
SCHOOL BOARD OFFICE
MINUTES
IN ATTENDANCE
C. Denesiuk, Chair
D. E. Jamieson, Vice Chair
K. Lindstrom, Trustee
L. Little, Trustee
G. Manning, Trustee
D. Shunter, Trustee
L. Van Alphen, Trustee
G. Doi, Superintendent of Schools
F. Regehr, Secretary-Treasurer
R. Shongrunden, Assistant Secretary-Treasurer
D. Stigant, Assistant Superintendent
G. Schafer, Director of Instruction
J. Hickling, Director of Maintenance
D. Burgoyne, District Principal
D. Adey, Executive Secretary
R. Holowaty, Vice Principal, Summerland Middle School
1.0
CALL TO ORDER
Chairman Denesiuk welcomed district staff, guests, and representatives of the media.
2.0
ADOPTION OF AGENDA
MOTION: Little/Van Alphen that the agenda and addendum be approved.
CARRIED
3.0
PRESENTATIONS BY SCHOOLS AND/OR STUDENTS
4.0
RECEIVING OF DELEGATIONS AND GUESTS
Mr. Garry Litke, President, Okanagan Skaha Teachers’ Union, accompanied by a number of
teachers, addressed the Board regarding their concerns related to the BC College of Teachers.
Mr. Litke advised that over 350 teachers from this district have decided not to pay their fees, due
by November 30, to the College and have instead paid into a trust fund. The deadline for
payment of fees has now been extended to December 31, 2003. Mr. Litke added these teachers
now face the risk of not being able to teach in January. Mr. Litke thanked the Board for the
opportunity to voice their concerns with the College in the public session.
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Page 2
Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
5.0
APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
MOTION: Jamieson/Manning that the minutes of the regular meeting held on November 3,
2003 be approved.
CARRIED
6.0
REPORT FROM CLOSED MEETING
The secretary-treasurer reported on the closed meeting held on November 3, 2003:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
7.0
received reports from the education committee and discipline committee;
approved teaching, excluded and CUPE staff changes;
received information regarding personnel matters;
received information regarding student suspensions;
discussed timelines for the presentation of the school closure feasibility report;
received information related to a BCPSEA meeting;
received information regarding an Okanagan Labour Relations Council meeting.
CORRESPONDENCE
7.1
Letter from BCSTA President
A letter forwarded by Gordon Comeau, President, BCSTA, regarding comments made by
the Minister of Education concerning the level of surplus funds retained as of June 30,
2003.
7.2
Letter from BCSTA
A letter from BCSTA requesting input on options for using a CommunityLINK grant
received by BCSTA in the amount of $50,000.
7.3
Letter from City of Penticton
A letter from the City of Penticton requesting a school district representative to act in a
voluntary capacity for a one-year term to sit on the Parks, Recreation and Culture
Advisory Committee.
7.4
Letter from South Okanagan Gideon Camp
A letter from the president of South Okanagan Gideon Camp offering donations of
English and French Bibles for placement in school libraries.
7.5
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 39 (Vancouver) to the Minister of
Education expressing concerns about the impact of Bill 51, the Teaching Professional
Amendment Act, 2003.
7.6
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by the British Columbia School Trustees Association to the
Minister of Education regarding the BC College of Teachers.
7.7
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by the British Columbia School Trustees Association to the
Minister of Education regarding a process for ministry and school board communication.
7.8
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 23 (Central Okanagan) to the Minister
of Education regarding the restructuring of the BC College of Teachers.
7.9
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 28 (Quesnel) to the Minister of
Education regarding her recent trip to Quesnel.
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
7.10
Copy of Letter to British Columbia School Trustees Association
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 44 (North Vancouver) to the BCSTA
enclosing a copy of the North Vancouver School District’s 2003-04 Opportunity Budget.
The budget is available in the trustee reading file.
7.11
Copy of Letter to Anne McLellan, Minister of Health
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 63 (Saanich) to the Federal Minister of
Health requesting that trans fats be banned from foods sold in Canada due to their
deleterious effects on human health, especially that of young people.
7.12
Copy of Letter to British Columbia School Trustees Association
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 41 (Burnaby) to the BCSTA
expressing their board’s disappointment with the Ministry of Education’s apparent
violation of the recently-established communication protocol between the Minister of
Education and the BCSTA.
7.13
Copy of Letter to British Columbia School Trustees Association
A copy of a letter forwarded by the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation informing
BCSTA of several decisions of the BCTF Representative Assembly which met on
November 7 and 8, 2003.
7.14
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 47 (Powell River) to the Minister of
Education conveying concerns regarding Bill 51.
7.15
Letter from Penticton 2004 BC Seniors Games
A letter forwarded by Deborah Davidson, President, Penticton 2004 BC Seniors Games
Society, requesting that a school district representative be appointed as a liaison to their
board.
7.16
Copy of Letter to Minister of Education
A copy of a letter forwarded by School District No. 41 (Burnaby) to the Minister of
Education expressing their board’s concerns regarding the Minister’s recent statements
that school districts have accumulated $145 million in “surplus” funds.
MOTION:
8.0
Page 3
Shunter/Manning that the correspondence be received and referred to the
appropriate committees and that the letter from the Penticton 2004 BC
Seniors Games be referred to the secretary-treasurer for appointment of a
staff member to liaise with their board.
CARRIED
REPORT OF COMMITTEES
8.1
Education Committee
Trustee Shunter reported on the education committee visitation to Giant’s Head
Elementary School on November 25, 2003 which included a tour of the school,
interaction with the students, and a luncheon with the staff.
Trustee Shunter provided information from the education committee meeting held on
December 2, 2003:
a.
Aboriginal Education Advisory and Enhancement Agreement
The Board was advised of the aboriginal education advisory committee’s interest to
begin the process of developing an enhancement agreement.
MOTION:
Shunter/Van Alphen that the Board continue to work with the advisory
committee in order to establish an enhancement agreement.
CARRIED
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School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha)
b.
Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
Field Trip Policy Review
The Board reviewed some of the recent serious safety concerns with high-risk
activities in school curricular and extra-curricular programs.
MOTION:
Shunter/Little that a moratorium be placed on our schools’ down-hill
skiing and snowboarding activities (except specific practices for and
British Columbia School Sports Association sanctioned events)
effective December 9, 2003 pending a Board review of the field trip
policy.
CARRIED
MOTION:
Shunter/Manning that principals be directed to refrain from approving
the transportation of any students as passengers in student driven
vehicles pending a Board review of Procedure 11 of Policy No. 330.
CARRIED
MOTION:
Shunter/Van Alphen that principals be directed to exercise particular
discretion to ensure that adequate levels of parent information and
consent, excursion supervision, skill level assessment and required
instruction of pupils, required safety equipment, and current risk
assessment have been carried out for all field excursions.
CARRIED
c.
Satisfaction Surveys Online
Information was provided outlining the administration of the provincial satisfaction
survey for January/February 2004. The survey will be conducted as an online
activity for students and staff. Parents would, as in previous years, be asked to
complete a paper copy.
d.
Board Authority Authorized Courses/Locally Developed Courses
Information was provided to the education committee about the procedures and
timeline for replacing the locally developed courses as Board Authority Authorized
Courses.
MOTION:
8.2
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Shunter/Lindstrom that the report of the education committee be received.
CARRIED
Finance and Management Committee
Trustee Little reported on the finance and management committee meeting held on
December 3, 2003:
a.
Funding Recalculation – 2003-04
The secretary-treasurer reviewed an analysis of the 2003-04 funding recalculation.
In summary, enrolment from 2002-03 was down by 209 regular students and 44
adult students, the redistribution from the provincial enrolment decline provided
$309,921 to the district, and the total funding change was a reduction of $250,685.
The secretary-treasurer noted that the 2003-04 budget approved on April 28, 2003
included $300,000 in revenue based on the expected available funds from the
provincial enrolment decline.
b.
PLNet Meeting
Assistant Secretary-Treasurer Ron Shongrunden reviewed a meeting held by
Ministry of Education staff and the school district to review how PLNet services
might be received. Our interests continue to be that any connection to PLNet must
not conflict with the school district’s technology services for students and
administration. Our efforts to work with PLNet are prompted by our desire to
receive a fair share of the funding for this service. Mr. Shongrunden reviewed
some of the current technology development in the district and the committee
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Page 5
Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
agreed to plan a trustee meeting to review this topic. This meeting will be held on
January 19 at 7:00 p.m.
c.
Energy Efficiency Planning
The director of maintenance reviewed the work underway to complete energy
audits in each of our schools and to develop a plan for energy upgrades. A
consultant who works with SD43 is assisting with this study. Mr. Hickling advised
the federal agency of Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) has funded 50% of this
study and Aquila will also assist with this study. Our efforts to reduce energy
consumptions will assist us in controlling our expenditure of over $1.1 million per
year on electricity and gas.
d.
BC College of Teachers
The committee received information regarding the BC College of Teachers and
agreed the Board of School Trustees should prepare a letter to the Minister of
Education encouraging the Minister to resolve the dispute related to the BC
College of Teachers. Trustee Little read the letter which will be sent to the
Minister.
MOTION:
9.0
10.0
Little/Manning that the report of the finance and management committee be
received.
CARRIED
REPORT OF SECRETARY-TREASURER
9.1
Penticton Secondary School Reconstruction Committee
The secretary-treasurer provided an update regarding Penticton Secondary School
reconstruction committee meetings held on November 6 and December 2, 2003. These
committee meetings have been attended by representatives of all partner groups, public
and city and have focused on some of the technical reviews undertaken at the site. The
committee has looked at five options for construction which have been presented to date
and will look at these along with additional options and refinement of the first five.
Committee members will meet again on December 16 and hope to work through the
option phase, narrow down the options, and go forward to a public review process for the
options.
9.2
Funding Recalculation
The secretary-treasurer reviewed information on the funding recalculation provided by the
Ministry of Education. Due to a provincial enrolment decline of 6,591 students from last
year and the Ministry of Education maintaining the same budget for school districts,
districts received additional funding of $43 per student, which amounted to $309,921 for
our district. Our school district had anticipated this provincial decline and had already
budgeted to receive $300,000 of this additional money. Mr. Regehr added that the total
funding our district received did decrease by $250,685 which was due to student decline,
and that he will be working through the budget figures and will bring forward in January
our district’s situation due to the funding recalculation.
REPORT OF SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS
10.1
Student Achievement
a.
Literacy Update
The superintendent reported that a number of groups have been attending inservice activities, meeting in committees, and reviewing various literacy issues.
The literacy workgroup will meet in January to hear updates from other groups.
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10.2
10.3
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Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
b.
Numeracy Update
Director of Instruction Schafer reported that grades 3, 5, and 8 numeracy
subcommittees have been meeting to revise numeracy assessments, which will be
administered in May. The grade 9 to 12 numeracy subcommittee is developing
assessments for grades 9 to 11. The numeracy workgroup will meet in January.
c.
Social Responsibility Update
Assistant Superintendent Stigant reported the social responsibility group is actively
planning for three workshops: February 17 on effective behaviour service; April
22/23 for secondary schools on restitution; and on January 15 and 16 regarding
performance standards. A group is also working on a pilot of “Roots of Empathy” in
the Okanagan, which will be discussed with the education committee.
d.
District Review Team (February 8-11, 2004)
The superintendent reported the Team Chair for the SD67 review has changed and
that Sherri Mohoruk, Assistant Superintendent, Surrey School District will be the
new chair. Ms. Mohoruk will make a pre-visit on Wednesday, January 7, 8:00 a.m.
to 12:00 noon. Host superintendents and review teams will attend a training
session on January 15 and 16, 2004.
Communication and Access
a.
Field Trips
The superintendent of schools reviewed two field trip requests which had already
been approved by the superintendent.
b.
Alumni Project
The superintendent of schools reported on plans and procedures for the SD67
Alumni ‘Wall of Fame’ awards. The criteria, procedures, and nomination form was
included with the agenda package. Mr. Doi added it is anticipated up to 10 or 12
former students will be recognized during this school year with the first candidates
being announced by mid January.
Other Items
a.
Enrolment
The superintendent of schools reviewed an enrolment summary as of November
30, 2003 which indicated secondary enrolment is down by four students and that
elementary and middle enrolment is up by 21 over the previous month. The
current enrolment is 7,536 students or 7,204.56 FTE.
b.
Independent Schools’ Enrolment
For information only, a listing of student enrolment in independent schools located
within the boundaries of this school district was reviewed. There are currently 394
students enrolled in these independent schools.
c.
School Closure Feasibility Report Update
Following the adoption of Policy No. 750 – School Closure in September 2003, the
Board directed staff to develop a feasibility report. The feasibility report is still not
complete but will be available for presentation and discussion at the January 12th
board meeting. Trustees agreed to meet on January 8 at 1:00 p.m. to be briefed
on the report.
d.
Examination Schedule 2003-04
The assistant superintendent reviewed requests for examination and/or “I” days
during which pupil attendance will be excused except for assigned examinations or
completion assignments (middle schools).
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Page 7
MOTION:
Shunter/Little that the following dates be approved for examination
and/or “I” days:
School
Penticton Secondary
Princess Margaret Secondary
Summerland Secondary
KVR Middle
McNicoll Park Middle
Skaha Lake Middle
Summerland Middle
e.
Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
Semester 1
January 26 – 30
January 26 – 30
January 26 – 30
Semester 2
June 21 – 29
June 21 – 29
June 21 – 29
June 24, 25, 28
June 24, 25, 28
June 24, 25, 28
June 24, 25, 28
CARRIED
Provincial Exam Results
The assistant superintendent reviewed information circulated with the agenda
package regarding the 2002-03 provincial examinations, provincial scholarships,
and district scholarships results as well as interpretation highlights, school and
exam averages by school, participation rates by course for the district, success
rates for provincial exams, and provincial scholarship winners. Eight of 11 courses
are at or above the provincial exam average, an improvement of one course over
last year. Ten of the courses meet the district target of exceeding or being within
2% of the provincial average and the remaining one is within 3% of the provincial
average. In eight of 11 subject areas, the pass rates for Okanagan Skaha students
equals or exceeds the provincial average and two of the remaining three courses
are within 2% of the provincial pass rate and within the district target. Six of 11
course areas are above the provincial average in A’s and B’s and four of the
remaining five are within 5% of the provincial A/B rate. District participation rates
are above average in ten of 11 courses and all 11 courses meet or exceed the
district target. There were 58 provincial scholarship winners for 2002-03.
Students, teachers at all grade levels, and supporting families were commended
for both success and scholarship rates.
11.0
REPORT OF REPRESENTATIVES
12.0
NEW AND UNFINISHED BUSINESS
13.0
INFORMATION ITEMS
13.1
BCSTA Trustees Academy
Trustees Manning, Lindstrom, Jamieson, Shunter, Van Alphen and Denesiuk provided
information regarding their attendance at the BCSTA Trustees Academy entitled
“Performance Standards for School Board Success” held December 4 to 7, 2003 in
Vancouver. Topics and workshops included communication and strategic partnerships;
teacher bargaining; board and school trustee evaluation; choice in public education;
school planning councils; aboriginal education; and the plenary address by
Superintendent Doi.
13.2
Date of Next Meeting
• January 12, 2004, Regular Meeting, School Board Office
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14.0
Minutes of Regular School Board Meeting – December 8, 2003
TRUSTEE COMMENTS
14.1
Trustee Comments
Trustees provided general comments related to district activities. Trustee Lindstrom
requested on behalf of the BCSTA 100th year celebrations pictures, stories, or items
which may be suitable for their celebrations.
14.2
Recognition of Student Success
School District No. 67 (Okanagan Skaha) extended congratulations to the students and
groups for outstanding examples of success listed on the recognition sheet included with
the agenda package.
14.3
Recognition of Student Artwork
Students from Giant’s Head Elementary School were recognized for their artwork
currently on display at the school board office:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
15.0
Page 8
Richard Thevarge
Tyler Lemke
Spencer Miller
Corwin Shanner
Kaiden Woods
Kelsey Rodd
Arizona Sieben
Matthew Jones
Kindergarten
Grade 2
Grade 2
Grade 2
Grade 2
Grade 2
Grade 2
Grade 3
ADJOURNMENT
MOTION:
Manning/Shunter that the meeting be adjourned at 9:05 p.m.
CARRIED
16.0
QUESTION PERIOD
____________________
Chairperson
____________________
Secretary-Treasurer
December 11, 2003
Ref: H:\DA\2003-2004\00100 - 00999 Admin\00300-05 Minutes Open\031208 OP.doc
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